Life & Work with Scouse House Photography of West Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scouse House Photography.

Scouse House, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today.
Where does your story begin? My name’s Clete Philyaw, and this my wife Chloe Blom. Together, we run Scouse House Photography. We met at Watkins College of Art and Design here in Nashville, back in 2005. I was going for photography and she for film. After not doing so well in school. I gave up photography, thinking of it as more of a hobby and not an actual way to support myself. So I grinded away at job after job, for years. Just doing what I could to pay the bills. Then, Chloe’s brother died of a heroin overdose, and everything changed. I lost my dog tragically, 3 months later. I lost 2 jobs back to back, just months after that. So, 2014 was a really tough year for us. We had to reevaluate our lives. We thought back to when Chloe’s brother didn’t want to take family photos just a few weeks before his passing. And I thought back to when I was younger and my irrational, ever looming fear of forgetting things as I aged.

With no direction in sight, Chloe and I were watching TV a few years ago, and there was a segment called Talk Stoop. It was just a little quick interview on a stoop with a random celebrity, before you get back to the show you were watching. This day, Steve Harvey was on it, and said something so profound it kickstarted our photography career immediately. “If you sit down and honestly discover your gift, which is the thing you do the absolute best with the least amount of effort. There lies your greatest chance for success.”

It wasn’t long before I came up with photography. I had to get back into it and really try. I had to capture those memories for people. If we tried, and failed, then I’ll go back to hard labor and long days. But if we succeed, boy if we succeed. Then we’re in for a fantastic career.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been an easy road. It still isn’t. I’ve had to completely reteach myself old things and learn a whole lot of new things, as well. New software, how to shoot people, how to use flash, and just learning how to charge for my services are all things I’ve had to learn over the past 3 or 4 years. The hardest part has been the very few clients you can’t please. You aren’t going to be able to make everyone happy, but you can do yourself a favor by valuing your work and not underselling your services. There are plenty of people that don’t understand how photography works and will try their best to take advantage of your art. Another challenge we have faced is the limitations of working out of a small home studio. Although it makes for a short commute we don’t have all the luxuries of a professional studio. Having a small home studio can help develop you into a very thrifty and resourceful photographer. Without these challenges we definitely wouldn’t have learned as much as we have, so far.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We specialize in portrait, family, and product photography. I love using flash vs natural light as it gives me a lot more control. Our favorite sessions have to be our “Paraskirt” sessions. They’re a lot of hard work with assistants fluffing the dress, not to mention the post-work of color matching the skirt to match the blouse. But clients are always amazed at how gorgeous they look in an enormous, fantastical dress. We live for making people feel confident, strong, and powerful. Headshots are equally as enjoyable on a much simpler level. A lot less strenuous but people leave feeling just as confident knowing they’ll look good across all of their business platforms. We are also a package deal offering a photographer and an assistant at every session. Where a lot of photographers go at it alone and can sometimes be unprepared. We always have someone on hand to fix hair and other details to capture the best image possible. Chloe’s ability to style, plan, and produce sessions is another thing that sets us apart from other photographers. She tries to think of all the details that might be overlooked. We try to cover all the clients’ needs.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Don’t hesitate. If you’re thinking of taking your photography to the next level and making a business out it, act now. Don’t be like me and waste years not taking advantage of your gift. Instead of growing, I spent more time re-learning things. If I could do it again, I would have dove in the deep end a lot sooner.

For those who are considering hiring a professional photographer we encourage you to do so. Don’t wait until its too late to grab a recent pictures of your loved ones or yourself. Everybody needs a chance to look their best with an up to date headshot.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: scousehousephotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/scousehousephoto
• Facebook: facebook.com/scousehousephoto
• Other: poplme.co/scousehousephotography